How to distinguish between the number 1 and the letter l on license plates?
2 Answers
There is no need to distinguish between the number 1 and the letter l on license plates, as the letter l is not allowed in domestic license plate numbers. This is similar to how the letter l is not permitted in license plate numbers and the letter 0 is not allowed in vehicle VIN codes, to prevent confusion between certain numbers and letters that may be difficult to distinguish. More information about vehicle license plates is as follows: 1. A license plate is an indispensable item for a vehicle to legally drive on the road. If a vehicle is to be driven legally, it must display a license plate. Driving without a license plate is equivalent to unlicensed driving, which is illegal. 2. License plates come in two types: permanent and temporary. Permanent license plates are made of metal and must be fixed to the front and rear of the vehicle using screws provided by the vehicle management office. Temporary license plates, made of paper, do not need to be fixed to the vehicle body but must be affixed to the front and rear windshields of the vehicle.
Yesterday, while helping a friend check the license plate, I encountered this issue. The number 1 on the plate has a small horizontal line at the bottom, like a tiny hook, whereas the letter I is just a straight vertical line. It's clearest when you take a photo with your phone and zoom in—you can see the number 1 also has a slight angled cut at the top. Additionally, Old Zhang from the DMV mentioned that on new energy license plates, the letter position is fixed—the second character is always a letter, so in that position, it's definitely an I, not a 1. If it's raining and hard to see, you can feel it by touching: the number 1 has a raised texture at its base. Of course, the safest way is to memorize the unique features of each character on your license plate, as inspectors rely on these details for identification during vehicle checks.
